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D. W. CHURCH.

PIPE WRENCH.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 13, 1916.

- l 1 95,55 8. Patented Aug. 22, 1916.

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DAVID W. CHURCH, OF SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO D. F. WEAVER, OF SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA.

PIPE-WRENCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 13, 1916. Serial No. 103,402.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID W. CHURCH, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Diego, in the county of San Diego and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pipe-Wrenches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to wrenches, more particularly pipe wrenches and the objects of my invention are: first, to provide a wrench of this class in which the grip of the wrench tightens proportionately with the pressure on the handle of the wrench in turning it in one direction and releases proportionately with the pressure on the handle in turning it in the opposite direction; second, to provide a wrench of this class which may be readily placed on the pipe by the use of only one hand; third, to provide a wrench of this class which will not slip when placed on the pipe and turned in the right direction under ordinary circumstances and fourth, to provide a wrench of this class which is simple and economical of construction, durable, easy to operate and will not readily get out of order.

With these and other objects in view as will appear hereinafter my invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter described in detail and particularly set forth in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the characters of reference thereon which form a part of this specification, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of my wrench shown on a pipe ready for use which pipe is shown by dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of said wrench and Fig. 3 is a sectional view through AB of Fig. 2.

Similar characters of reference refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The slidable jaw 1, handle 2, spring 3, and gripping wheel 4 constitute the principal parts of my pipe wrench. The slidable jaw 1 consists of a rectangularly shaped portion 1 provided with an extended curved jaw 1 which is provided on one side with a plurality of teeth 1. In one side of the rectangularly shaped portion 1 is provided a plurality of notches 1 adapted to engage with the teeth 4 on the gripping wheel 4. The extended end of the slidable jaw 1 is reduced in size to a round extended portion 1 WlllCll is provided in its end with a screw 1 the head of which extends past the outer surface of the extended portion 1 This slidable jaw 1 is mounted in a rectangularly shaped recess in the one end of the handlemember 2 so that said slidable jaw can not turn in said handle member. This handle member is also provided with a pair of extended lugs 2 spaced apart from each other a sufficient distance to accommodate the gripping wheel 4 between them. This gripping wheel 4 is revolubly mounted on a rivet or bolt 9f mounted in the two lugs and extending between the same so that the teeth 4 of the gripping wheel 4 engage with the notches 1 in the slidable jaw 1 so that any object to be turned between the teeth 1 and the gripping wheel 4 would tend to force the slidable jaw portion 1 toward the grip ping wheel 4 when the wrench is turned in one direction and to move them away from each other when the wrench is turned in the opposite direction. In the other end of the handle member 2 is provided a round hole of'sufiicient size to allow the reciprocation of the head of the screw 1. Said hole does not, however, extend through to the rectangularly shaped recess as the hole is reduced in size leaving a partition 2 between them adapted to permit the reciprocation of the extended portion 1 of the slidable jaw 1. Mounted around the extended portion 1 with one end against said partition 2 and the other end against the extended portion of the screw head l is a compression spring 8 which tends to hold the slidable jaw 1 inwardly in said handle at all times. In placing the wrench on a pipe or other object the operator holds the wrench by the handle, catches the extended end 1 of the slidable jaw 1 on the object and pulls on the handle lengthwise which compresses the spring 3 and allows sufficient space between said jaw portion 1 and the gripping wheel 4 for the object to be inserted therein after which the wrench is turned in one direction for turning the object and turned in the opposite direction for releasing the wrench from said object.

Though I have shown and described a particular construction, combination and arrangement of parts I do not wish to be limited to this particular construction, combination and arrangement but desire to in clude in the purview of my invention, the construction, combination and arrangement substantially as set forth in the appended claims.

It is obvious that with this construction there is provided a wrench which will tighten any object in proportion to the pressure exerted on said wrench in turning the object when turning it in one direction and will release the same in proportion to the pressure exerted in the opposite direction, that the wrench may be readily placed on the object to be turned by the use of only one hand of the operator, that the wrench may be placed on the object and the object turned and released by the use of only one hand of the operator, that the increase of the gripping pressure caused by added pressure by the turning of the wrench provides for a minimum of slippage of the wrench on the object, that the wrench as a whole is simple and economical of construc tion, durable, easy to operate and will not readily get out of order.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a wrench, the combination of a handle member, a toothed gripping wheel revolubly mounted thereon, and a jaw slidably mounted in said handle provided with teeth adapted to be moved to a position adjacenf the teeth on said revoluble gripping whee a pair of laterally extending lugs extending from the sides of said rectangularly shaped recess, a toothed gripping wheel revolubly mounted between said lugs, a slidable jaw provided with an extended portion with teeth on one side and provided with a rectangularly shapedportion adapted to fit into the rectangularly shaped recess in said handle member and provided with a plurality of notches adapted to engage with the teeth on said gripping wheel and also provided with an extended reduced round portion and a spring mounted over said extended reduced round portion and fitting against said handle member tending to hold said slidable jaw inwardly in said handle member. r

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at San Diego, California this.5th day of June 1916.

DAVID W.- CHURCH.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing .the Commissioner of Patents,

7 Washington, D. G. 

